There are a lot of things in the world that make me pause, think, and end in a good ole hmmmm… We’ll leave the philosophical talk at the door, and get down to some interesting, and possibly unknown tidbits about your body.
• Goose bumps: Did you know that goose bumps actually have a scientific name? They’re called piloerection and they come popping up when you’re cold or even afraid. See, at the base of all the little hairs on your body is a little muscle that contracts and it appears as a bump on your skin. If you go back in history, when humans were a tad furrier than we are now, this served a wonderful purpose. Think about what your cat looks like when it gets scared, it arches his back, and his fur stands on end.
• Cracking Joints: The common joint in our body consists of two bones coming together in a capsule. Your knuckles are a good example of this type of joint. Inside the capsule is a fluid that contains dissolved gases. If you stretch the joint, you’re compressing both the joint and the fluid inside which forces the gases to escape the fluid. The popping sound you hear is the release of air within the joint capsule. Once your joint cracks, it is a little more flexible, but it also explains why you can’t crack the same joint in quick succession – the gas needs to build back up!
• Tearing up from onions: As you cut an onion, you are rupturing its cells and release enzymes that produce a gas (propanethial sulfoxide). When that gas gets into your eyes, it reacts with your tears to produce sulphuric acid. Although it’s mild, it does hurt. Your brain sends signals to produce more tears in an effort to flush out the acid; more gas is making its way up to your eyes because you are still chopping onions. Did you know that if you chill an onion in the freezer before cutting it, you will keep the crying to a minimum? That’s because the gas release is slower when the onion is cold. You can also cut the bottom of the onion last since that’s where the majority of the enzymes are found.
• Did you know that your ears never stop growing? It’s true! Your outer ear will continue to grow for your entire life. Ears grow quite rapidly up until approximately age 10 and then slow down to less than .25 millimeters every year.
• Did you know that babies are born without a single freckle? Sure, many come into the world with birthmarks or beauty marks, but they don’t have a single solitary freckle. Freckles are produced by the skin using excess pigment in response to sun exposure – so you won’t see any freckles until your baby starts heading out into the sunlight!
• Have you ever had “pins and needles”? It’s actually caused by blocked blood flow to a pressed nerve. You may experience this if you’ve sit too long in a funny position, or even if you’ve just been sitting with crossed legs. Although similar, “pins and needles” is not the same as a pinched nerve. The intense sensation you feel – that crazy prickly feeling – is caused by pain messages to your brain.
